Doyle/Citizen photo
Pete Loux of Newmarket gives his all during this squat at Saturday’s New Hampshire/Vermont Powerlifting Championships at the Great Bay Sports Club.

NEWMARKET — There are a million things that can go through a powerlifter’s mind when he or she steps up to the platform. But it’s best to think of nothing at all.

“If you think, you’re screwed,” said Esteban Rubens.

“You have to clear your mind,” he continued. “You have to only focus on something, like the color white. Not seeing anyone, totally blanking out, and you just go for the lift. If you train enough, your body knows what to do.”

Rubens, 40, of Stratham, broke two Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate world records on Saturday morning at the Seacoast Sports Clubs-Great Bay in Newmarket. Rubens was one of more than 50 powerlifters to take part in the New Hampshire/Vermont Powerlifting Championships, in what was billed as the first event of its kind on the Seacoast.

It’s a sport for all ages, genders and personality types. Though the lifters at Saturday’s meet were mostly men, there were a few women who competed. Nona Hubbard, 51, of Raymond, also broke a Syndicate world record on Saturday.

Click image to enlarge

Doyle/Citizen photo
Esteban Rubens of Stratham set two Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate world records at Saturday's New Hampshire/Vermont Powerlifting Championships at the Great Bay Sports Club.

“It’s still more male dominated, of course, but there are a lot of good women lifters,” Hubbard said. “I think it’s becoming more popular.”

Powerlifting is a subgenre of weight lifting competition. Unlike Olympic weightlifting, which consists of the snatch and the clean-and-jerk, powerlifting comprises three lifts — the squat, the deadlift and the bench press. Each lift has rules and regulations for what constitutes a valid lift.

On the squat, a lifter must show proper technique — lifts are deemed valid or invalid based on a number of factors, such as whether or not the lifter dips the bar down on his way back up. Also, the crease in a lifter’s hip must dip below the knee in order for it to be a valid lift. Three judges officiate each squat -- two out of three must deem the lift valid, indicated by a light on a scoreboard. For the lift to count as a world record, all three must agree it was valid.

All the things that make an athlete successful — diet, exercise, practice and physical fitness — are important in powerlifting, too. But it cannot be stressed enough how big the mental aspect of the sport is to the competitors.

Click image to enlarge

Doyle/Citizen photo
A full house was on hand on Saturday at the Great Bay Sports Club in Newmarket for Saturday's New Hampshire/Vermont Powerlifting Championships.

“Strength is important, but it’s the least important aspect,” Rubens said. “Of course you have to train, but if you have the wrong technique, even if you’re strong enough you’re not going to get it. And you’re going to hurt yourself, so you’ll never be able to go again.”

Like runners and golfers, powerlifters are constantly trying to test their own limits.

“You’re really competing against yourself to get stronger,” said Newmarket’s Pete Loux, 35. “It’s open to everybody, no matter how experienced you are.”

Loux, who wrestled in college, said that an experienced powerlifter must find the perfect balance between getting properly motivated to lift while keeping an even keel.“It’s important not to get over-excited,” Loux said. “It’s not about getting psyched up. It’s about keeping calm. Also, if you’re too psyched, you can miss commands. You’re so focused on making the lift, you forget to listen to the judge.”The sport is popular among older competitors. Many of the powerlifters interviewed for this story picked up the sport well into their adult years. Rubens started powerlifting only a year and a half ago.

“I had a big hiatus,” said Rubens with a laugh. “Got married, had kids, all that stuff. But strength training is my thing. I really got into this in a big way.”

Rubens said he enjoys the personal challenge that powerlifting provides.

“I hate running,” Rubens said. “You’re up against yourself all the time, every day in the gym. It’s a lifestyle more than something you do once in awhile.”

Meet organizer Peter Hubbard, Nona’s husband. Now one month shy of his 75th birthday, Hubbard took up the sport at age 65, only after a lengthy career in the U.S. Navy.

Hubbard said one of his favorite aspects of powerlifting competition is the undeniable good vibes that permeate every minute of the competition.

“Everybody gets along,” Peter Hubbard said. “They cheer for each other. They know all the work that went into getting onto that platform. They’re behind everything. All positive.”

It’s also a family affair. Loux cradled his infant daughter between lifts and had a number of family members cheering him on.

“They always come,” said Loux. “They cheer for me, yell ‘Go Daddy.’ That gives me more motivation to do a lift, if someone’s screaming ‘Go Daddy’ at you. I like it.”

Dover’s Mike Connors, 55, is a former New Hampshire state champion powerlifter long retired from the sport. He’s still a powerlifting junkie and attends meets whenever he can, but he fears the sport is in decline. “It’s kind of a dying sport,” Connors said. “It’s good to see a lot of these kids here. But I don’t think it will ever get back to its glory days. The competitions are too long. And this is a small meet. I’ve been lifting past 1:00 in the morning in past meets. It’s just dwindled so much. In the 80s and 90s it was a good sport. It still is, but it’s so controversial with the steroids, you know?”